SS9301-CS 930811 (2)August 11, 1993
City of Coppell
To Whom It May Concern:
Please be advised that I am a homeowner, taxpayer and resident of
the City of Coppell. I believe that the city may be violating my
legal property rights. If we are unable to resolve these problems
in the immediate future, I will be forced to pursue legal remedies.
Despite assurances from the City Council and Coppell City Engineer
Ken Griffith to the contrary, the Grapevine Creek sewage line
construction project has negatively affected our quality of life.
The project is threatening the value of our property, undermining
our security, creating an invasion of our privacy and quite
possibly undermining the foundation of our home.
Here are some specific grievances:
1. The City of Coppell has failed to instruct the contractor
on this project to secure the easement. There are no signs posted
to inform motorists or pedestrians that the working easement is not
a public thoroughfare. As a result of this negligence, we have
faced a constant stream of trespassers in our back yard. People
have taken to using the working easement as a shortcut through
Coppell. Youngsters have been dirt-biking on the "road". We have
observed four-wheelers joy-riding through our property, hikers and
people walking their dogs regularly disturb our privacy. After a
series of complaints to Coppell police, the work crews now
sometimes place temporary barricades at the entrance to the
easement at sundown. These temporary barricades have not ended the
invasion, and there is an urgent need to post the property as
private.
2. The amount of dirt being spewed into the air by this project is
incredible. The constant stream of traffic through the working
easement has stirred up hundreds of pounds of dirt that blows into
our pool and against the back side of our home. The pool is
constantly covered with a fine film of dust, and we have been
forced to brush the dirt off of the pool steps several times a day.
Our pool filter is clogged with dirt from this project, and we are
beginning to notice pitting and discoloration on the bottom of the
pool. The construction crew has made no effort to wet down their
path in order to keep the dirt from flying into the air, and they
often travel at high rates of speed.
3. Every time one of the heavy trucks or loaders passes behind our
home, the house shakes. Our home is slightly more than one year
old, and despite meticulous construction, we are noticing cracks in
the seams of the sheetrock. We believe that the weight of these
heavy vehicles on the easement has quite possibly damaged the
foundation of our home.
4. When the contractor cut a path behind our home, he failed to do
an engineering study of the stability of the hill. Mr. Griffith
told me (in the presence of my attorney) that the microtunneling
was intended to negate the impact of the slope. He reasoned that
by microtunneling, instead of digging a trench, the stability of
the hill would not be affected. But, without any notice to us, the
contractor cut a path through the slope leading from our house to
the creek. By displacing the compacted soils which support our
lot, the contractor has quite possibly undermined the stability of
the entire slope, creating the potential for future landslides.
This temporary "road" between Northlake Woodlands development and
Beltline Road and the railroad tracks, is cut so close to the base
of the fence that the fence has shifted. The pillars now stand at
an angle, and the boards do not fit together. From Beltline, our
home looks like it is located in a slum, with a teetering fence and
a dirt road cut into the side of our hill. The mess which the
project has created is forcing the value of our property down. The
stability of our slope must be insured by the city, the stone wall
needs to be repaired, and when the project is completed, the city
must restore the entire area to its original, pre-construction
state.
5. Now we are being informed that because of equipment failure
underground, the contractor will be forced to dig a huge pit
adjacent to our children's swing set in our back yard. I'm told
that the pit will be twenty feet long, eight feet wide and at least
twenty-four feet deep. Can you imagine the liability which the
City is assuming with that size hole on the edge of our property?
We have five small children. What precautions is the city taking
to insure that no one could possibly fall into this pit? Is the
city prepared to restore or replace my swimming pool or my house?
Is the city prepared to insure the future stability of my lot? Did
the city consider the stability of the slope before it allowed the
contractor to cut the hill or dig a pit in the easement?
We have been patient with construction delays. (The project was
originally scheduled for completion in June of 1992.) We have been
patient with work crews who are constantly peering into our back
yard, pool area and back windows. We have resigned ourselves to
the fact that this summer is lost, that the beautiful home we have
built will not offer us the enjoyment and privacy which we believe
we have every right to expect in Coppell. We have been patient
while spending countless hours cleaning up the dirt created by this
project. But patience has limits. We demand an immediate solution
to the invasion of our privacy ~ non-construction trespassers. We
demand that immediate steps be taken to insure the safety of our
children and the security of our property,and we demand assurances
from the city for the future integrity of the slope behind our
home.
When Councilman Robertson built our pool, he advised us to build on
the side of the house rather than in our back yard. At the time,
he suggested that digging into the slope was risky business, as the
stability of the hill was at risk. So, despite a floor-plan which
called for the pool to be located in the rear of the house, we
build the pool on the end of the house. The City of Coppell
Planning Department would never have allowed us to dig down into
the side hill twenty-four feet. Who authorized the construction
company to make such a dig?
Please have a representative of the City contact us with a plan of
action immediately.
Sincerely,
776 Crestview Circle
Coppell, Texas 75019